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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26032087">Grounding Your Ego</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kharons_End/pseuds/Kharons_End'>Kharons_End</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Enemies to Lovers, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader is mute, References to bullying, Romantic Comedy, Short Chapters, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Swearing, edge is bad at words but good with intentions, reader is a part time barista, reader is vindictive, really freaking salty to really freaking sweet, references to 'got crabs?'</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:41:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,193</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26032087</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kharons_End/pseuds/Kharons_End</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Most people spend their whole lives waiting to exchange those fateful first words with their soulmate. You, on the other hand...</p><p>If this asshole really wanted to hear his destined words from you, then he'd have to wait for them. There are advantages to being mute, after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>118</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>276</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Guadeloupe Bonifieur</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23435473">Got Crabs?</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrabbyMaiden/pseuds/CrabbyMaiden">CrabbyMaiden</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello there! I got the inspiration for this fic from CrabbyMaiden's <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23435473/chapters/56171944">Got Crabs?</a> quite a while back, and I'm happy to finally be writing it! There's a few things I'd like to say first-</p><p>This fic is gonna have short and to the point chapters, and it'll update sporadically. Hopefully sooner rather than later.<br/>Also it's not necessary to read Got Crabs, but I definitely recommend it if you want a good laugh!<br/>Lastly, I may change the rating later, but I highly doubt it.</p><p>That's all! Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE, GET ME SOMEONE COMPETENT.”</p><p>You stared down the tall, menacing skeleton before you. His scowl only accentuated his sharp, high cheekbones and matched his whole ensemble— which looked like a trip to hot topic and an online BDSM shopping trip gone awry. Who wears that much leather in the middle of summer? This guy.</p><p>His foot tapped against the tile as he leaned against the counter in what you assumed to be a menacing pose. The red, sharp lights in his sockets bore down on your face like Rudolph the fucking reindeer’s nose. You pointed to the sign nestled between the bell and the biscotti, your eyes narrowing in a certain dead expression that only a bottom-rung barista could give.</p><p>He harrumphed as he began to read it out loud.</p><p>“‘HELLO, MY NAME IS…’” he trailed off near the beginning, even though it was a three sentence sign, max. What was so wrong about saying your name, asshole? “YES YES, THE STANDARD DRIVEL. ‘...DUE TO MY CONDITION I MAY WRITE INSTEAD OF SPEAK TO YOU’? YOUR MANAGER CLEARLY DOESN’T UNDERSTAND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP. IF<strong> I</strong> WAS IN CHARGE, I WOULD HAVE PUT YOU BACK IN THE KITCHEN.”</p><p><em>Of course he would say that</em>, you thought as you touched the simple velvet collar around your neck. What else did you expect from your douchebag soulmate?</p><p>Thankfully your coworker Julie jumped in before you could wring him out with his own tattered scarf.</p><p>It wasn’t like you haven’t encountered grumpy customers before, and at least he had a reason; one of you mixed up the frappuccino order with his simple coffee. Tons of customers check their online orders before they leave for that exact reason. Maybe he had a bad day, and that’s why he shoved his order confirmation in your face without a word until that very moment, when you handed him the bag and he discovered the mistake. Nothing about this was unusual for your typical Karen.</p><p>The problem was, you have been holding a grudge against him since his words appeared around your neck like a tight choker, right at the delicate age of puberty, when everyone is antsy and testy and <em>awful</em> because of hormones and because of these stupid soul script marks.</p><p>It was hard enough being mute, but when the bold, plain and long letters appeared, your bullies made it a point to call you stupid as well. “Now you’re dumb in both meanings!” Haha, no. Fuck you, Josh. Say that to your still strong 4.0 GPA in information systems.</p><p>Julie gave you one of those “get a load of this guy” looks and motioned to the coffee machine as she began to issue a refund. You gave her a nod and grabbed the carafe, making quick work to pour the steaming liquid into a large cup. A glance over your shoulder confirmed that he was too busy with the refund to watch you. <em>Good</em>.</p><p>Since you wanted to <em>reward</em> him for being <em>so</em> diplomatic, you opened the filter compartment and scooped a few chunks of grounds into the cup. The grounds made a small ploop as you watched them plunge into the blackness and bob back up, breaking apart into finer, gritty particles. After one or two swirls with a stirrer for an even consistency, your soulmate’s drink was ready.</p><p>You turned back to the counter, coffee in hand, and gave him a neutral smile as you slid the cup into a koozie and pressed on the lid. The moment your fingers left the cup, he snatched it up and huffed as Julie handed over the refund receipt.</p><p>He grumbled an insincere “THANK YOU” and promptly left.</p><p>Your dear soulmate had better hope he liked his coffee in the same way you felt about him: <em>like the feeling of chewing jagged rocks while trying to recite ten pages of a telemarketer’s call log.</em></p><p>Julie turned to you with a hand on her hip.</p><p>"I saw that little trick. You're scary," she joked, waggling her eyebrows. You couldn't help the pleased grin spreading on your face as you jotted your reply on the small whiteboard.</p><p>
  <em>"Damn right I am."</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Ethiopian Harar</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's another day at work.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And it continues!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Conversation started: 3:36 PM</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Julie: Guess who’s back :[</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>You: Again?</strong>
</p><p>You had just locked the apartment door and started your walk to work when Julie texted you about the new regular.</p><p>
  <strong>Julie: This is his 3rd order today</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Julie: Sonia is dealing with him rn</strong>
</p><p><strong><em></em></strong><em>Seriously?</em>  Why did he keep coming back if he hated the coffee so much? This wasn’t some exotic bean blend that was personally handpicked by fairies and roasted by the gods. It was just some regular mass-ordered, god forsaken <em>dirt</em> <em>beans</em>.</p><p>
  <strong>You: &gt;:[</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>You: Be right there</strong>
</p><p>It was just on the cusp of fall and therefore the weather was on the cusp of being <em>balls</em> hot, which would usually be a plus in your book if you didn’t know what you were walking into. Instead, the beating sun and humidity only added another layer of irritation on your poor soul, which was going to have to be stamped down for the sake of friendly customer service. During these days you hoped that your naturally quiet demeanor combined with the dead eyes of a barista scared most customers into behaving.</p><p>On the plus side, the convenient part of living in a small college town was that all the available apartments were never more than 15 minutes away from a cafe of some kind, and you had gotten lucky enough to get a part time job at the closest one. A short walk down the block, and you were already there.</p><p>Just like it always was during the afternoon hours, only a few customers hung around. One of the regulars sat near the corner with his laptop plugged in and mooching off of the wifi. Another couple sat near the front window chattering to themselves quietly, and one of them glanced at you while you pulled open the front door. </p><p>There he was in all his bastard glory. Edgeward Skeleton Hands.</p><p>“<em>NO</em>, I AM TELLING YOU THAT YOUR QUALITY IS HIGHLY INCONSISTENT, AND I <em>DEMAND</em> THAT YOU MAKE IT RIGHT! HOW HARD IS IT TO WRITE DOWN A RECIPE? DO YOUR EMPLOYEES HAVE THEIR HEADS TOO FAR UP THEIR ASSES TO <em>READ?</em>”</p><p>One of the ladies by the window whispered “that’s so rude” to her companion as you passed by, and the regular in the corner (A fellow college student. You dubbed that small table as his since the semester started) took another sip of his drink and continued typing.</p><p>He gave you a quick glance and a neutral frown, for which you returned with a nod of your head. Same shit different day, right dude?</p><p>As you passed by the counter towards the staff door, you met with Sonia’s fretful glance and and signed:</p><p>“<em>Hang in there</em>.”</p><p>The corners of her mouth tipped upward before facing His Royal Douchiness again.</p><p>“No, I assure you that everyone here is not— not wedged into their own bums, sir. But if you could tell me more about your order, then I can— “</p><p>“IT’S <em>COFFEE</em>. IT’S NOT A DIFFICULT BEVERAGE TO REMEMBER.”</p><p>You clenched your fists and pushed your way past the staff doors into the kitchen, where Julie was prepping the croissants for tomorrow.</p><p>“Heeeeyy,” she greeted with the enthusiasm of a person who had to fake a reaction to receiving the world’s stalest fruitcake for the third time in a row, “God, he’s still out there? Poor Sonia, bless her heart.”</p><p>You pointed to the side and shoved your middle finger through the bottom of your fist, glaring.</p><p>
  <em>He’s a fucking asshole.</em>
</p><p>“Oooh, I don’t need to know ASL to understand that one,” Julie laughed. “God, now I understand why you don’t wanna talk to him yet. If he was <em>my</em> soulmate, I’d be running for the hills.”</p><p>You nodded in agreement and pointed towards the lockers, and Julie gave you a thumbs up before she continued separating the frozen pastries onto the sheet.</p><p>After you put your things away and clocked in, you took up your whiteboard and marker and marched your ass to the front. Sonia may have been your boss, but Sonia was a <em>nice</em> boss, and she deserved all the backup she could get.</p><p>“—NO, I DO<strong> <em></em></strong><em>NOT</em> WANT A REFUND! I WANT YOU TO <strong>DO IT RIGHT!</strong>”</p><p>“Sir, I…”</p><p>Just as you reached to the back of the counter you caught the sound of Sonia sniffling.</p><p>Hell no. No one treats Sonia that way. No one treats <em>anybody</em> that way.</p><p>You ripped a cup from the stack and poured the coffee so fast that the liquid nearly spilled onto your hands, and you jerked open the compartment to pull out the filter in its entirety. You didn’t even bother to hide it this time as you overturned the paper, dumping the clumps into the cup. The coffee overflowed and sloshed onto the counter, but you forced on the lid and ignored your scalding fingers as you whirled around and slammed the cup onto the counter, glaring at him.</p><p>
  <em>Get fucking lost.</em>
</p><p>Sonia called out your name, probably more in shock than as a scold, and your soulmate stopped bitching halfway to give you a critical stare. He took up the cup in silence and fiddled with the tab with his needle fingers, then brought it to his mandible and tipped the cup back. </p><p><em>How in Newton’s flying fuck.</em> By some miracle, most of the coffee poured into his swiss cheese mouth and disappeared with an audible gulp. <em>Most.</em> A steady stream of the gritty liquid dribbled down his front jaw like some kind of small scale sewer leak, so he whipped out an embroidered napkin out of nowhere and wiped himself off with the grace of a tempered aristocrat. Which was fucking <em>weird</em>, because you would have thought that your soulmate had actual manners?</p><p>The cup lowered from his teeth and he met your heated glare with a cold expression of his own. Oh, here we go. Come on, discount Jack Skellington, go ahead and <em>try</em> to start something! You wanted the <em>pleasure</em> of beating his ass, swear to the heavens above, or you’d die trying!</p><p>“FINALLY,AN ACCEPTABLE CUP OF COFFEE. YOUR HOSPITALITY HAS BEEN MOST...<em>GRACIOUS</em>.”</p><p>He gave you a curt nod. And with that, he promptly left the store.</p><p>…</p><p>...</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Really?</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>You turned around to check on Sonia—who was dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a regular paper napkin like a <em>normal</em> person— before scribbling on your whiteboard:</p><p>
  <em>“Are you okay?”</em>
</p><p>“Don’t worry about me,” Sonia laughed with a waver in her tone, “I— I’ll just think of it as him caring about the welfare of our shop! Thank you for making his order the way he likes it. What did you do?”</p><p>Your eyes darted to the discard filter laying on the counter and gestured to it sheepishly before moving your fist in a circle near your chest.</p><p><em>Sorry</em>.</p><p>You took up your whiteboard again. <em>“Write me up?”</em></p><p>“It’s okay,” she sighed. “You gave the customer what he wanted so— so I won’t complain. Just don’t do that with anybody else, please?”</p><p>You nodded. It’s not like you planned to sabotage any other customers besides him, so it wasn’t a hard request by any means. </p><p>Sonia sighed again, the relief evident in her voice. “Thank you. Let me count the drawer and I’ll leave you and Julie to close up.” </p><p>As she took to the cash register, you cleaned up the small mess you made and did your best force down the jittery feelings coursing through your veins. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Bernardina</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Another skeleton comes in.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> I am not a fluent ASL speaker, but I do my best with the resources I have to accurately portray signs. If you want to learn ASL proper, please look up websites such as signingsavy.com or look at a local college for classes. Remember to be respectful! This is a valid language and should be treated as such!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Much to your great displeasure, your soulmate kept coming in for coffee.</p>
<p>Most times when new customers visited the shop, it was either a one and done deal, or they came in every once in a while when they were visiting the town. The university had their own coffee shop on campus, so aside from your one regular dude who ordered a bag of chips and a triple shot espresso and then hogged the wifi for half of a shift, the few regulars that frequented were often lifelong townies.</p>
<p>But not him. Noooo, not “90% off after sale at the Halloween store decoration” mister rod-up-his-ass skeleton He couldn’t be like all the other Karens. He had to be <em>special</em>.</p>
<p>Now it was an everyday occurrence. He’d come during your night shifts after your class, order one coffee, and then leave like the bastard he was.</p>
<p>You asked Julie if he came in during your days off as well, and she replied, “Well, yeah. But he gets really weird about who’s serving him.”</p>
<p>You turned your palms upward and shook them back and forth slightly, knitting your brow.</p>
<p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p>
<p>“Yeah! If there’s somebody he hasn’t seen working before, he demands that they take care of him.”</p>
<p>Did that mean he was looking for you? Did he<em> know</em>?</p>
<p>You grasped at your collar and shot a suspicious look to your coworker, who threw her hands up.</p>
<p>“<em>I </em>didn’t say a word, swear to god!”</p>
<p>You were hoping that he was a dick to <em>every</em> customer service worker he encountered, and therefore he would have a wide pool of potential soulmates to wade through (those poor forsaken souls). But if he was willing to stick around a coffee shop for this long, his soul mark must have included something coffee related. Your goddamn dirt bean job was going to give it away.</p>
<p>The sleigh bells rang, signaling the entrance of another customer, and you looked up to see a different skeleton approach: a shorter, stockier version with a fur-lined jacket and mustard stains, carrying a look of someone who had just woken up from a coma dating from the Jurassic period.</p>
<p>Why was he carrying a watering can?</p>
<p>“Heyyy,” he drawled as he approached the counter. His gold filling glinted under the fluorescent light as he flashed a sharp grin towards you, leaning one arm on the counter. “Uhh, gotta pick up for Boss.”</p>
<p>Pushing down a look of confusion, you turned to the small shelf to scan through the readied bags.Somebody seriously put their name as “boss”? Ego much?</p>
<p>It turned out that nobody <em>was</em> that egocentric, thank god, because none of the bags had that label.</p>
<p>Without thinking, you turned back to him, the concern plain on your face as you rubbed your fist in a circle against your chest, crossed your index fingers to pull them away from each other, then tapped your index and middle fingers on top of your other two.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Sorry, is it under a different name?”</em>
</p>
<p>The skeleton blinked in surprise and straightened up. “Yeah, guess he wouldn’t put it under ‘boss’, huh? Uhhh, should be under ‘Papyrus’.”</p>
<p>You blinked in surprise and signed again.</p>
<p>
  <em>“You know sign?”</em>
</p>
<p>The skeleton gave you a sharp toothed grin and made a knocking motion, like he was knocking on a door. </p>
<p>“Yeah.” </p>
<p>Your face lit up with a grin as you began to sign with vigor.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Awesome! Are you passing by? Visiting? Here for college?”</em>
</p>
<p>“Nah, we’re live here,” he replied, “I’m just gettin’ outta the house to explore ‘r else Boss’ll kick my ass for lazin’ around fer too long.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“You live with your boss?”</em>
</p>
<p>“Feels like it,” he muttered under his breath, but he waved it off as you set the small bag in front of him. “But nah, ‘s my lil bro. <em>‘The Great and Terrible Papyrus! Nyeh Heh Heh!’” </em></p>
<p>His voice went up an octave in a gritty, semi-mocking imitation of his supposed brother, but it was clear he held some affection for him. </p>
<p>“He’s the captain of the Royal Guard, ya know? Protects the King. Hey, can ya fill me up, sweetheart? I forgot to do it at home.”</p>
<p>Your hands twitched as he wagged the small, worn tin can in front of you, and you obliged out of pure customer service instinct. “Great and Terrible”. That sounded like something your soulmate from hell would say, but <em>maybe,</em> with a <em>tiny</em> sliver of hope, this guy was related to another nasally skeleton, who just so happened to order from <em>your</em> store.</p>
<p>When you finished filling up the water can and turned back his way, he had just opened the bag.</p>
<p>It was like you were watching it in agonizing slow motion. The skeleton lifted up the single cup of coffee and pried off the lid, then took one of the wooden stirrers from the counter to give the drink a few swirls.</p>
<p>“Ahh yeah, he said you’d do this,” he replied lightly, looking amused. “Ya forgot to put in the good stuff.”</p>
<p>Your smile fell as your hands curled into fists. That motherfucker wasn’t even <em>here</em> and he was telling you how to do your fucking job?</p>
<p>You took up one of the packages of coffee beans— <em>whole</em> beans, because fuck him, he could grind them with his teeth if he wanted it so badly— and slammed it down onto the counter next to the coffee cup. The skeleton leapt back in surprise.</p>
<p>“Da fuck— “</p>
<p>You signed with the fury of a thousand murder hornets, glaring so hard that you <em>hoped</em> the “<em><strong>GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS”</strong></em> could feel your death stare and tremble like a pathetic coward, wherever he was.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Then you tell him that he can make his own goddamn coffee!”</em>
</p>
<p>“Woah there, tone it down, will ya? I ain’t gonna pay for a bag o’ beans that’s gonna be chewed out through my <em>ass</em> if I give it to him.”</p>
<p>You ripped off a sticky note from under the counter and scribbled in wild letters, slapping it onto the bag.</p>
<p>He squinted at it and then chuckled. “On the house? Aight, don’ gotta tell me twice.”</p>
<p>The note read more like “Complementary” and “Don’t come back” on the other side, but it was close enough. You watched him put it into the paper bag as the anger began to ebb away, and you contemplated apologizing because it wasn’t <em>his</em> fault his brother was a royal guardsman <em>cock squat</em>.</p>
<p>And then he stood there, staring back at you with that same smirk.</p>
<p>“Still need ya to fix the coffee.”</p>
<p>You glared back, feeling the rage wash over you once more, and then it settled into a sharp and deceptive <em>calm</em>, where everything became crystal clear. You took a breath in, and out, and you took up the cup.</p>
<p>You drained all but a fourth of the coffee into the sink.</p>
<p>You moved to the coffee maker and dug out the open bag from the lower cabinet.</p>
<p>You measured a cup worth of grounds.</p>
<p>You poured the grounds in.</p>
<p>Calmly.</p>
<p>Precisely.</p>
<p>Not a particle was spilled.</p>
<p>You secured the lid and turned back to the main counter, where the skeleton watched you.</p>
<p>He whistled.</p>
<p>“Damn, it’s too bad yer married,” he remarked, taking up the cup. “Boss would prolly get a kick outta— “</p>
<p><em>“Go,”</em> you signed, flicking your open hand away from you, staring at him, unblinking.</p>
<p>He grabbed the bag and hightailed it out the door.</p>
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